Old Yang, as usual, stepped forward to summarize: "Himeko, what do you think? Given the current state of the train, we've accepted Lady Black Swan's proposal and should arrange a Trailblaze journey to Amphoreus to replenish our fuel."
Himeko replied, "Time isn't particularly pressing. This Trailblaze journey is special, and before heading to the next stop, the train should also prepare for supplies and support."
"Coincidentally, with Lady Herta's connections, I originally planned to bring back a Leviathan relic from the depths of the Golden Realm for Ruan Mei of the Genius Society #81 as a favor exchange before departure. But with this calculation, it'll take at least a week to return."
Himeko had a favor trade with Ruan Mei.
So.
The Astral Express Crew decided to split into two groups.
Himeko and Old Yang would continue to fulfill their agreement with Ruan Mei.
Stelle, March, and Dan Heng would attend the ceremony as representatives of the train.
Of course!
Himeko's words inevitably caught the attention of many players!
After all!
In Honkai: Star Rail.
Not a single line is superfluous!
What seems like casual conversation could very well be foreshadowing for the future!
...
"Ruan Mei ordered something extraordinary…"
"Foreshadowing—is—being—laid—down—!"
"A Leviathan relic… Is she planning to study Preservation and Gluttony!?"
"Hint: The remnants of the Leviathan became [Gluttony] Oroboros, and to counter the Leviathan, a piece of self-aware Amber became [Preservation] Qlipoth."
"Ruan Mei: No big deal, I study everything in this world~"
"Trailblazing isn't about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships."
"I've always believed! Yunli was picked up by Ruan Mei."
"It really gives off the vibe of adults going to work while kids go play at relatives' houses."
...
Once the assignments were decided, they set off immediately.
This time, the landing went unusually smoothly.
There was no coercion or deception, no pursuit of any wanted criminals, and they didn't even land at the unloading dock.
Yanqing was the first to send a message.
Expressing that he would come to the Starskiff Sea to welcome the three.
Little Gui wasn't in a hurry either.
She controlled the protagonist to wander around the bustling Starskiff Sea.
Up ahead.
A Pepeshi and an Intellitron were waving at them.
"Hey, you three, please wait!"
"We're from Penacony, maybe you've heard of it? We've come to Xianzhou to collect some interesting Dreamscape materials."
"Do you know of any must-visit spots here on Luofu?"
It's normal to see other tourists at Luofu's martial ceremony.
But this is Honkai: Star Rail.
So it feels a bit out of place!
The players were also getting excited!
...
"Penacony is still chasing me!"
"Now, whenever I see such a discordant scene, I can't help but shudder, fearing I'm still in a dream!"
"Have you heard of this place? Have you heard of our name?"
"5% shareholder of Penacony"
"Please call me Gray Boss."
"I think every responsible Trailblazer would recommend Neyuan."
...
Next.
After meeting up with Yanqing.
An unexpected situation arose at the dock!
Of course, it was unexpected for the characters in the story, but for the players outside the screen, it was already something they had anticipated.
The Borisin let out fierce roars.
Their figures were burly and powerful.
The Cloud Knights stepped forward to stop them immediately, but they were outnumbered.
Amid the howls of wolves, the foxian and the Cloud Knights lost their ability to move.
Seeing this.
Yanqing decisively took action!
He dealt with one of them first.
The other tried to escape.
It was agile, even Yanqing's flying sword couldn't catch up.
Just as it was about to escape.
A barefooted girl descended from the sky, kicking it away!
She threw the flying sword she had casually picked up, pinning the Borisin to the ground.
Then she hurled the greatsword in her hand with great force!
The moment it hit, it stirred up a violent storm.
Then she lightly landed on the hilt of the sword.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye, the girl's methods were concise and decisive.
The visual impact was quite striking!
"Thank you for your assistance, miss," Yanqing was still expressing his gratitude.
However.
Yunli was holding Yanqing's flying sword.
She scrutinized it like a treasure, gazing intently into the air.
She let out a somewhat understanding "Hmm."
It seemed she could understand the sword's speech.
Yanqing, on the other hand, was completely baffled!
"Could you return the sword..."
However.
Before he could finish.
Yunli said, "Oh no, no time for chit-chat," and immediately flipped away.
Her swift figure was like a nimble monkey in the mountains!
She darted through the streets and alleys of the dock.
Soon, she disappeared from sight!
...
"So cool!"
"I was there, I'm Old Mettle."
"Little cat makes her entrance!"
"Whose kid can casually throw a greatsword taller than herself!"
"Yunli must be a fire-attribute main DPS!"
"I bet one of Yunli's skills is throwing her greatsword like that."
"My Yanqing has encountered yet another master!"
"Buff Yanqing!"
...
The matter of the flying sword being taken away was temporarily left unresolved.
Yanqing immediately took charge of the situation.
"Who is the officer in charge of this team? I need an explanation."
The Cloud Knight captain said, "It's me... I'm sorry, we were momentarily negligent, it's all my responsibility."
"Come on, tell me, with the martial ceremony approaching, safety and stability are paramount in Luofu. Why are there Borisin prisoners in the Starskiff Sea?"
"According to procedure, dangerous felons should be detained in the Starskiff and transported to The Shackling Prison without landing. Who allowed the prisoner transport ship to dock at the passenger terminal!"
At this moment.
A foxian Cloud Knight nearby spoke up, "Don't blame the captain, the envoy ship from Zhuming was just too enthusiastic."
"I am Lujun, the duty officer of the patrol guard. Thank you, Yanqing, for your assistance. The situation arose suddenly, it's definitely not the captain's fault."
This Cloud Knight was not wearing a helmet like the others.
Under his grayish-white hair.
Her eyes were adorned with brown eyeshadow.
There was a scar-like mark near her left eye.
She appeared somewhat intimidating.
However, her voice sounded quite clear and bright.
"The transport ship of the company passing through Luofu for transit was attacked by the Borisin just before its arrival. The envoy ship of Zhuming intervened, defeated the Borisin bandits, and detained them in the ship's hold."
Most players didn't pay much attention at this moment.
They simply thought it was an ordinary Cloud Knight.
However.
At this very moment!
Inside The Shackling Prison.
Witnessing this scene.
Jing Yuan, Feixiao… everyone's gaze immediately fell upon Mok Tok!
Because.
This person who called himself Lujun was none other than the Cloud Knight before them!
"Well, I didn't expect to see you appear in the storyline so soon."
Jing Yuan gave Mok Tok a meaningful look.
"But I'm curious. In the storyline, you're still an officer of the patrol guard, so how did you end up in The Shackling Prison in reality?"
Mok Tok's heart skipped a beat!
He hadn't expected it himself!
He had appeared so quickly in Honkai: Star Rail!
And he was even connected to the Borisin's disturbance.
This was most likely part of his plan.
But suddenly being in the spotlight like this made him feel very uneasy.
Jing Yuan had already hinted at his suspicions more than once!
If he showed even the slightest flaw, Jing Yuan would probably have a reason to thoroughly investigate him!
Mok Tok was thinking about how to explain himself.
At that moment.
In the storyline.
He provided a reasonable explanation for himself!
With righteous determination, he said, "The transport ship of the company passing through Luofu for transit was attacked by the Borisin just before its arrival. The envoy ship of Zhuming intervened, defeated the Borisin bandits, and detained them in the ship's hold."
"As you know, these days, countless outsiders have flooded into Luofu, and the Starskiff routes are under immense pressure. Before the escorting Starskiffs and route control could arrive, the Borisin desperadoes acted recklessly. Hence, the scene you just witnessed."
"We will send these criminals to The Shackling Prison as soon as possible."
Not only did this explain why he was at the scene of the Borisin attack, but it also connected to The Shackling Prison!
It was a perfect explanation for Jing Yuan's doubts!
Mok Tok couldn't help but feel relieved!
For now.
The storyline seemed quite friendly to him.
"General, that's exactly the case."
Jing Yuan nodded.
Feixiao spoke up, "In Honkai: Star Rail, some important characters get a lot of screen time."
"It seems our brother Lujun here is one of them."
"To appear in the storyline, young man, you have a bright future ahead."
Mok Tok immediately bowed in respect, "Lady Feixiao, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise!"
Hmph!
For now, I'll bow and scrape before you!
But one day, I'll repay this humiliation a hundredfold!
However…
Although this part of the storyline was dealt with.
What comes next…
Mok Tok had a premonition.
He might very well be exposed in the storyline.
He had to find a way to do something about it.